7 Essential Things to Know Before Visiting Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains is consistently the most visited National Park in the country, and it’s easy to see why. Inside this Tennessee/North Carolina park are rugged peaks, raging rivers, roaring waterfalls, epic hiking trails, picturesque swimming holes, and much more!

girl hiking at andrews bald in great smoky mountains national park

Before visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are some things you should know. From parking tags and dog-friendly trails to hike-in lodging and elevation ranges, here are seven essential things to know before visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK AT A GLANCE

Before diving in, here are a few highlights for planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Getting There: The closest airport to Great Smoky Mountains is McGhee Tyson, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Find affordable flights here.
Entrance Fee: No entrance fee but you do have to purchase and display a parking pass.
Where to Stay: Camp in the park or stay right outside the park in the town of Gatlinburg or Cherokee. Read my Where to Stay guide!
How to Get Around: You’ll need to rent a personal vehicle to get around the Smokies.
Best Time to Visit: March – October
How Long to Visit: 3-5 days

Table of Contents

7 Essential Things to Know Before Visiting Great Smoky Mountains

sitting in a hammock by the river at elkmont campground

1. The park is free to enter, but not free to park.

For the longest time, Great Smoky Mountains didn’t charge visitors an entrance fee. And technically, the park is still free to enter, but it isn’t free to park anymore. Let me explain.

Federal law blocks the NPS from charging entrance fees in Great Smoky Mountains National Park because the deed transfer between Tennessee and the park service contained a restriction preventing tolls on Newfound Gap Road and Little River Road. Since these are the two primary roads in the park, Great Smoky Mountains cannot charge an entrance fee.

However, on March 1, 2023, the park service introduced Park It Forward, a program that requires visitors who park for more than 15 minutes to purchase and display a valid parking pass.

You can read all about the parking tag program in my full guide here, but I will give you a brief summary below:

Daily, weekly, and annual passes are available for purchase. You can purchase the tags online or at one of the park’s visitor centers.
Each vehicle needs a parking tag, not each person.
If you don’t display a parking tag, you could receive a warning or a citation, or your vehicle could be towed.
The America the Beautiful Pass isn’t accepted.
Parking tags cannot be transferred between vehicles because your license plate number needs to be written on the tag.

2. Dogs are only allowed on two hiking trails.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park isn’t a particularly pet-friendly park, but dogs are allowed on two hiking trails.

Dogs are allowed on the Gatlinburg Trail and the Oconaluftee River Trail. They are prohibited on all other hiking trails in the park.

The 4-mile roundtrip Gatlinburg Trail is located behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center on the Tennessee side, and the 3-mile roundtrip Oconaluftee River Trail is located behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side.

Make sure to read my blog post about other dog-friendly things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

3. The in-park lodging is only accessible by foot.

mount leconte summit in great smoky mountains national park

Great Smoky Mountains has one in-park lodge, and it is only accessible by foot!

The LeConte Lodge sits near the summit of Mount LeConte, the third tallest peak in the Smokies. Due to its popularity, the lodge books up very quickly. Typically, reservations for the March-November season are released the fall prior. If you don’t get a reservation, you can get on a waitlist or call to check for last-minute cancellations.

LeConte Lodge features one, two, and three-bedroom lodges, kerosene lanterns for light, propane heaters for heat, wash basins and buckets to bathe, linens, tables and chairs, a mirror, pegs for backpacks, and covered porches with rocking chairs. Hearty family-style meals are served in the dining hall.

To get to LeConte Lodge you’ll need to hike a minimum of 11 miles roundtrip. There are several routes to the top, each with varying difficulty and mileage. Pets are not allowed on any of the LeConte routes or in any of the lodges.

Learn all about how to hike to Mount LeConte and the LeConte Lodge (including the many different routes) in my full guide here.

4. Many secondary roads and campgrounds close seasonally.

The main park roads like Little River Road and Newfound Gap Road (US-441) are open year-round, but many of the secondary roads close seasonally.

On top of that, some campgrounds and picnic areas are also closed seasonally. Smokemont and Cades Cove are the only campgrounds that are open year-round; the rest are open seasonally. Cades Cove, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, and Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Areas are open year-round; the rest are open seasonally.

laying in a hammock by the river at elkmont campground

chimney tops picnic area in the smokies in the fall

Of course, weather could cause temporary closure to more areas of the park, or in some cases, the entire park.

To read more about temporary and seasonal road closures, visit the official park website or check out my Smoky Mountains seasonal blog post series that outlines everything you can expect in each season.

Wondering which season to visit the Smokies? Read my ultimate comparison guide HERE!

5. Trailheads fill up quickly.

laurel falls parking lot before renovation

It’s no secret that Great Smoky Mountains gets extremely busy. This park is consistently the most visited National Park in the country, after all!

From March through October, you should expect trailheads, overlooks, visitor centers, and other parking areas to fill up quickly. Popular trailheads like Laurel Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Alum Cave might fill up as early as 8 AM.

To beat the crowds, I’d recommend visiting from November through February OR before 9 AM and after 4 PM during the busy season.

6. The park is in two states and has three main entrances.

standing at meigs creek cascades in great smoky mountains national park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the borders of the states of Tennessee and North Carolina.

You can read my full guide that dives into the differences between the two sides of the park, but I’ll give you a brief overview below:

Tennessee is the most visited side, is close to touristy destinations like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and is home to some of the crowd-favorite hiking trails, swimming holes, and campgrounds like Mount LeConte, The Sinks, and Elkmont.
North Carolina is the quieter side, is close to the small town of Cherokee, and is home to some of the most rugged hiking trails and campgrounds like Mount Cammerer, Balsam Mountain, and Big Creek.

standing at the waterfall below laurel falls

swimming in midnight hole in great smoky mountains national park

Though there are many different ways to get into the park, there are three main entrances: Gatlinburg, TN, Townsend, TN, and Cherokee, NC.

The Gatlinburg entrance has quick access to highlights like the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Laurel Falls, and the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

The Townsend entrance has quick access to highlights like the Townsend Wye, Cades Cove, and The Sinks.

The Cherokee entrance has quick access to highlights like Deep Creek, Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), and Newfound Gap.

7. The temperatures vary drastically from Gatlinburg to Kuwohi.

hiking to mount leconte summit in great smoky mountains national park

If you’ve spent any time in the mountains, you probably know that temperatures change as you climb in elevation. But it doesn’t hurt to reiterate!

Elevations in the park run from 876 feet to 6,643 feet. The lowest point is Abrams Creek at the park boundary, and the highest point is Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), the tallest peak in the Smokies range.

Therefore, the temperatures at Abrams Creek, and even in Gatlinburg, will be drastically different than the temperatures on Kuwohi, Mount Guyot, and Mount LeConte, the three tallest mountain peaks in the Smokies range.

girl standing on the mount cammerer lookout tower

The high peaks rarely see temperatures above 80 degrees, even in the middle of the summer, but lower elevations commonly receive 80 and 90-degree summer days, sometimes even triple-digits.

On the opposite end, the high peaks receive several feet of snow in the winter while the lower elevations rarely receive more than a few inches.

mountain view from clingmans dome parking lot

You can read all about what to expect in each season (including temperatures and precipitation at the low elevations vs the high elevations) in my Smoky Mountains seasonal blog post series!